A little nutmeg

AFRICAN herbal folklore has helped put pharmacologists on the track of two compounds that could be used to treat diabetes.

Researchers from Shaman Pharmaceuticals in San Francisco visited Nigeria to investigate the African nutmeg tree, Pycnanthus angolensis, which is used by local herbalists to treat diabetes-related conditions such as chronic fungal infections.

From extracts of leaves of P. angolensis the researchers isolated two compounds that lowered glucose levels in diabetic mice (The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, vol 288, p 529).

"They have great potential," says team leader Jian Luo. The compounds appear to be more potent than existing treatments for type 2 diabetes, in which people produce insulin but fail to respond to it. The new compounds may enhance the ability of insulin to dispose of glucose.

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